UK market
The UK floating offshore wind market continues to grow and adapt to new challenges. This ambition is now supported by a broader Industrial Growth Plan (IGP) that seeks to provide direction and enable targeted supply chain intervention.
Hywind Scotland Pilot Park, first multi-turbine floating offshore wind farm
The first multi-turbine floating offshore wind farm is installed in the UK 30 km off the coast of Aberdeen. The project features five Siemens Gamesa 6 MW turbines mounted on spar floating substructures. Hywind Scotland follows on from a successful Norwegian demo project using a single 2.3 MW turbine which was installed off the coast of Norway in 2009.
Erebus, first floating offshore Celtic Sea project
Simply Blue Energy and Total (now TotalEnergies) secure a lease for their 96 MW Erebus project in the Celtic Sea from The Crown Estate.
Kincardine Offshore Wind Farm, second multi-turbine floating offshore wind farm
The second multi-turbine floating offshore wind farm is installed in the UK. This project features five Vestas 9.5 MW turbines mounted on Principle Power semi-submersible floating substructures and becomes the largest floating offshore wind farm in the world.
Celtic Sea floating offshore projects
The Crown Estate awards three more test and demonstration licences for three 100 MW projects in the Celtic Sea. These are: Cobra Group/Flotation Energy’s 100 MW Whitecross project, and Cierco’s Lyr 1 and 2 projects each rated at 100 MW.
Floating projects included in CfD Allocation Round 4
The UK Energy Ministry BEIS publishes its terms for Allocation Round 4, which is open to participation from floating offshore wind projects for the first time. Floating projects for delivery in 2025-2027 compete for supports against other eligible ‘less established’ technologies, but BEIS ringfences budget in this technology pot for first access to floating offshore wind projects. EDF’s 58.4 MW Blyth Phase 2 and Hexicon’s TwinWind demonstrator are expected to participate.
Scotwind lease round
17 new projects were awarded leases through Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind process. 10 projects that will use floating technology secured 15 GW of the 24 GW total capacity awarded in the round. The sea bed leasing process raised a total of $910 million in option fee payments for the treasury.
In August an additional three floating projects totalling 2.8 GW were awarded off Shetland.
Hywind Tampen takes shape
Equinor installs most of the 11 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW turbines on concrete spar buoys at its Gullfacks and Snorre oil field in Norway, marking the first time an offshore wind project has been connected to an oil and gas platform.
INTOG lease round
Following the success of the ScotWind process and Equinor’s progress with Hywind Tampen, Crown Estate Scotland opens its ‘Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas’ (INTOG) leasing round. The round will allow developers to bring forward innovation projects less than 100 MW and projects capable of providing power to oil and gas platforms. The round may create 6.2 GW of new capacity across both its parts.
FLOWMIS launch
UK Energy Ministry BEIS is expected to open the ‘Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme’ (FLOWMIS) which will allocate around $208 million of funding towards the essential upgrade of port infrastructure required to enable the construction and marshalling of floating offshore wind technology in Scotland and Wales.
Celtic Sea Leasing Round progresses
The Crown Estate launched the second phase of its Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5, aiming to establish a new generation of floating wind farms in the Celtic Sea. This initiative seeks to unlock up to 4 GW of power by 2035.
Green Volt secures a CfD in Allocation Round 6
The Green Volt floating offshore wind project, developed by Flotation Energy and Vårgrønn, secured necessary planning approvals, making a key milestone in its development and allowing it to bid into the CfD leasing round later in the year. In the UK's latest renewable energy auction, a Contract for Difference strike price was secured of £139.93. This £2.5 billion project is poised to become the world's largest floating offshore wind farm supported by government incentives.
Japan market
Japan was an early mover in the floating offshore wind market, deploying several demonstration projects when the technology was in its infancy. Japan has limited land and shallow water availability but a large exclusive economic zone (EEZ) with deep water, meaning that floating technology is essential in meeting its long-term targets. Early focus has been on offshore wind projects in territorial waters (less than 12 nautical miles from shore), but the Japanese Government has been working to introduce frameworks to enable development in the rest of the EEZ.
First floating offshore wind prototype project installed
A 1:10 floating offshore wind prototype, using a hybrid concrete-steel spar foundation, was installed by a consortium of industry and university stakeholders in the Nagasaki prefecture. This was the beginning of a ten-year period over which several prototype and demonstration projects were deployed.
The First Grid Connected Floating Wind Turbine in Japan installed
The 2 MW Haenkaze floating wind turbine called was installed off the coast of Kabashima Goto, Nagasaki prefecture. Haenkaze uses a concrete/steel hybrid spar floating platform.
Fukushima Forward first installation
The first phase of the project consisted of one 2 MW floating wind turbine and the world’s first floating substation.
Fukishima Forward second turbine installed
A 7MW floating wind turbine Fukushima Shimpuu is installed at the Fukishima Forward site using a semi-submersible design, connecting to the floating substation.
Offshore Wind Promotion Law
The Act on Promoting the Utilization of Sea Areas for Marine Renewable Energy supports offshore wind development by designating “promotion zones” in national waters. It allowed developers to bid for up to 30-year sea area usage rights, providing stability for large-scale projects.
Japan’s Vision for Offshore Wind Power Industry
The Government committed to auctioning 10 GW of offshore wind capacity (including floating) by 2030 and 30 to 45 GW by 2040 in the Vision for Offshore Wind Power Industry. It also linked the upper end of these volumes to reducing the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of offshore wind to JP¥8-9/kWh ($64-71/MWh) by 2035 and increasing local content to 60% by 2040.
Carbon neutral declaration
In 2020, Prime Minister Suga pledged Japan would achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, highlighting offshore wind as a key solution. To support this, the government set a target of 10 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 30–45 GW by 2040. These targets aim to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and accelerate Japan’s transition to clean energy.
Round 1 auction
The Round 1 auction awarded leases and revenue support for three sites, accounting for around 1.7 GW of fixed-foundation capacity. A Mitsubishi Corporation-led consortium secured all three sites at an average cost of XX.
First commercial-scale fixed offshore wind project installed
The nearby Akita and Noshiro projects were the first commercial-scale fixed offshore wind projects to be installed in Japan, with combined capacity 139 MW.
Round 2 auction
The Round 2 auction awarded leases and revenue support for four sites, accounting for around 1.8 GW of fixed-foundation capacity. A range of consortia composed of Japanese and international developers were awarded the sites at 3yen/KWh for three sites and 22.18yen/KWh for one site.
Round 3 auction
The Round 3 auction awarded leases and revenue support for two sites, accounting for around 1.1 GW of fixed-foundation capacity. Consortia led by BP and JERA were awarded the sites at a price of 3yen/KWh.
Amendments to the Marine Renewable Energy Act to expand into EEZ
The Japanese Government approved a draft amendment to the Marine Renewable Energy Act to allow for the installation of offshore wind projects within the EEZ where the majority of Japan’s floating offshore wind capacity is found.
Ishikari Bay New Port becomes the largest offshore wind project in Japan
The 112 MW Ishikari Bay New Port offshore wind project, owned by JERA and Green Power Investment Corporation, began commercial operations. This is the largest commercial fixed offshore wind project in Japan.
South Korea market
To date, South Korea has only deployed small amounts of fixed offshore wind. The 100 MW Jeonnam 1 project will be considered the first commercial scale project when fully commissioned in 2025. South Korea is however pushing ahead with ambitious plans to meet targets of 14.3 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 40.7 GW by 2038. These targets are being pursued through its Offshore Wind Power Competitive Bidding Roadmap, led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE). With many project developers already holding seabed rights, it aims to run a number of offtake auctions totalling 7-8 GW by 2026. The first of these was concluded in late 2024 with nearly 1.9 GW of capacity awarded, including the first for a floating project.
Renewable Energy 3020 Implementation Plan
The South Korean Government announced the Renewable Energy 3020 Implementation Plan, aiming to produce 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, with a significant focus on offshore wind, including floating wind.
Equinor's Donghae 1 Project Progress
Equinor, in partnership with Korea East-West Power and Korea National Oil Corporation, completing the preliminary feasibility study for the 200 MW Donghae 1 floating offshore wind project off the coast of Ulsan.
Offshore wind capacity targets increased
The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) set targets of achieving 14.3 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 40.7 GW by 2038, emphasizing a government-led push to increase renewable energy infrastructure.
1.9 GW of Offshore Wind Capacity awarded including 750 MW of floating wind
The first auction concluded with offtake contracts awarded for four fixed offshore wind projects and one floating project, Equinor's Bandibuli Project Contract located 70 km off the southeast coast.